My first scary ride.
Hi!
Okay bare with me as I try to scramble the everything together. This was probably the most insane thing and I have a feeling I was almost trafficked.
So I’m sharing this to hopefully spread awareness to anyone taking Lyfts/Ubers in Las Vegas. this was on May 16th in Las Vegas headed towards EDC. I had called a Lyft around 8:30ish to take me to edc from my hotel. I was by myself but I had plans to meet with friends at the festival.
The first red flag was when I got in the car, the driver told me I was brave for going solo. I never said I was by myself, yea I called a Lyft by myself but I was still going to meet up with my friends. Some did Camp EDC, I was also on a business trip with free time to go to edc so I had to stay at my hotel.
Anyways, the entire car ride he’s trying to make conversation with me, he notices I’m going to EDC and starts making talk about festivals. My next red flag was when he said at some point he’s never been to out of the country but at some other point said he’s been to Tomorrowland… which is out of the country.
Here is another red flag I didn’t peep until after talking with police. He had made a voice to text chat, saying he was caught up in traffic he would be there in an hour. He played it off like it was to his wife, but my drop up destination was in an hour. In the traffic heavy hour, he wasn’t getting home for a couple more hours. I felt like he was highkey telling someone when he was going to be there with me.
Time goes by, he starts to tell me my drop of location is extremely far and he didn’t want to drop me off there. I’m looking at the map and it did but it was bc it was the ride share lot and they automatically put the pin at that entrance lot but the driver can enter and drop you off closer. I was confused bc my friends had been dealing with Lyfts the whole trip. But I told him he should just follow the directions. It’s fine. He kept going in about it and it started to give me a really bad feeling.
At this point I notice the ac is blasting with no cool air, the back windows are up while his front window are down. I start getting extremely sleeping, which is another red flag bc I had taken an adderall before leaving my hotel, I should not be getting as sleepy as I was. Something in me starts to literally scream that something isn’t right. I tell him to roll my windows down it was “hot” and start texting my bf, I am telling him everything that’s happening and then the driver pulls the biggest red flag,
“ I need to stop and get gas, we should get off on Craig street “
No driver is ever supposed to sway from directions from the app, for the exact reason on it causing panic in costumers. He was so adamant we get off in Craig. I said yes sure, like I did notice his gas was actually running low. He passes a bunch of gas stations and then pulls up to a really shady one to which he apparently only had cash and needed to go inside.
When we pull up, this guy is like weirdly making eye contact with me as he walks up to my driver to conveniently says “ it’s closed for 5 mins for shift change or something “ mind you, idk why he walked up to my driver like he knew him, making weird eye contact with me while they talk. At this point I pull out my phone and get on a call with my boyfriend and I am very loudly telling him everything and where I am at. I tried telling him to go to another gas station but he was so adamant on assuring me it will only be 5 mins, but he’s giving me like panic side eyes as he realizes I’m in the phone.
He eventually goes into the store, he doesn’t even walk to the counter at all, his hands stay on the door handle as he talks to whoever in the store. He than looks back at me with a panicked look, look like he’s about to walk out but than realizes I had been watching the whole time and turns around and walks further into the store. As if he realized didn’t see him go to the counter.
At this point my boyfriend is telling me to get out the car immediately, he said he had a bad feeling as soon as I started texting him but hearing I was at a gas station I needed to immediately leave now. As soon as I couldn’t see him, I got out the car and ran down the street to another gas station. Where I found police officers and told them everything.
They were sweet, told me exactly what I should do when it comes to reporting especially on the Lyft app. I was hysterical at this point and he said all the right words to calm me down and get me on my way to the festival.
I made a report on Lyft, they refunded me my money and I believe the driver got flagged and needed an investigation. I told them to watch the driver log, he swayed from directions, pulled up to a gas station that also has NO GOOGLE INFORMATION ABOUT. Just says it’s a shell gas station with zero information about anything else. Not even hours of operation. I told them out conversations and they even agreed I did the right thing, they was weird and I should always follow my gut when something doesn’t seem right. I haven’t gotten a follow up but I cannot tell you how weird I felt with that driver.
I have done plenty of things solo, I have been in plenty of Ubers and Lyfts and I have never felt the way that i did then, anywhere ever.
I’m not asking if anyone if they think my suspicions were right.
I’m spreading awareness to always be on guard, never for a split second let it down. If something doesn’t feel right, CALL SOMEONE. Loudly start talking about where you are, your eta, the car, literally whatever you let that driver know people are expecting you and if you go missing, PEOPLE WILL NOTICE.
I am telling you, he was panicking and SWEATING when he realized I wasn’t falling asleep and I now at this point am 100% suspicious of what’s happening and on the phone with someone who is expecting me.
I hope no one has to ever experience this, but to always be on guard in the off chance it does happen. Even if this was innocent, maybe now this man can reflect on how shady some of the things he was doing can appear to women and to avoid it in the future.
NEVER STAY SILENT, NEVER STATE YOUR ALONE, SHARE YOU LOCATION WITH LOVED ONES, IF YOUR GUT DOESNT FEEL RIGHT, CALL SOMEONE, MAKE THEM PULL OVER AND LET YOU OUT THEY CANNOT REFUSE, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY IF THEY DO. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE STAY SAFE WHEN TRAVELING.